Faith In The OC

The Blog Is Moving!!

2006-01-22T16:46:00.000-08:00

Hello all! I know it's been forever. I'm sorry for that. We've been sorting out quite a bit in the last month or so. We've come to some new places and realizations. It's time I share that again and it's all going to happen at a new blog. It's time to put this one to rest. It will still be up and available for viewng but this will be my last post on this site. Here is a link to the new one:

In Search Of Myself
http://insearchofmyself.wordpress.com

2005-12-01T14:41:00.000-08:00

Every 10 Seconds Someone is infected with HIV/AIDS

Every Minute 6 people are infected with HIV/AIDS

Every Hour 360 People are infected with HIV/AIDS

8640 people will be infected with HIV/AIDS TODAY!

Today is about education.
Know the facts and then act.

Christmas vs. The Holidays

2005-11-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Mike for this great picture. These shirts believe it or not are for sale (along with others like it). You can pick them up at: www.declarechristmas.com If you can't read the caption on the shirt it says: "Christmas is not a 'Holiday', It's God's Birthday". While I agree with main idea here for the most part I wonder what the point of the shirt is. A quote from the website: "Christmas Is Under Attack - Now we're fighting back...and you can too." I have a hard time with this approach. Also take a look at this article in the San Francisco Gate. This artical is taking a look at a "campaign" waging war against those whe refuse to use the words "Merry Christmas". And who is at the helm? None other than Mr. Jerry Falwell. Is this how we spread the good news? Is it really good news anymore? I'd love to hear all of your thoughts on this. At least this is some food for thought as we head into the holidays. There seems to be a lot of people in need of love and hope and peace during this time and I think our energy could be better spent spreading that. How can we bring that?

The Raid

2005-11-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

This morning I was awoken by a knock on our door. It took me a while to get some clothes on and get down the stairs but by the time I got there the knocking had become violent and the person on the other end was also ringing the door bell incessantly. I was a little concerned about who in their right mind would be knocking on my door so early in the morning (I guess not too early.......6:30am). I tried to look out the peep hole but all I could make out was the outline of a man's face so I peaked out the side window. Lined up along our walk way is a bunch of cops. They all have their hands on their guns and they looked like they meant business. Kinda scary to say the least. I open the door as fast as I can not wanting to irritate a bunch of guys ready to draw their weapons. The sheriff at the door had a bunch of papers in his hand and one had a picture of someone. He asked me if this man lived at this house and of course he didn't so I said no, we just moved in a month ago. They wanted to see my I.D. and wanted to know why I didn't have a change of address form yet. I wasn't sure how to answer but it didn't seem important to them anymore. By this point they had all filed into our house and were shining their flash lights around maybe thinking that I was trying to hide whoever it was they were looking for. After the sheriff verified I was who I said I was they all left very apologetically and trying to explain themselves by telling me this man has a warrant out for his arrest. I'm not sure but they seemed pretty bummed that they didn't find who they were looking for which is also a little concerning. Cops don't come looking for you if you had a traffic citation that wasn't paid. I imagine they would only come looking for someone at 6:30 in the morning if it was pretty serious. Anyway - happy Monday morning!!!!!

Kids With No Homes.............

2005-10-29T10:39:00.000-07:00

We were recently asked to help out with this thing called the Heart Gallery. The Heart Gallery is a photo exhibition of kids in the foster care program that need to be adopted into permanet homes. At the very least go check out their website. www.heartgalleryoc.org It really rocked me thinking about these kids. It made me want to bring one home! Anyway this coming Thursday we will be playing a little music at this show. We'd love to see any of you that are close enough to make it out. The invitation is to anyone that wants so just call and RSVP. Here's the flyer:

If you can't read the number to call here it is: (714) 940-3376
We also get the chance to meet the kids before so I will surely be telling those stories!

Modern Technology and Worlds Apart

2005-10-27T07:27:00.000-07:00

On my drive in to work this morning I was thinking about the amount of miles it travel everyday to get to work. Then I got to thinking that back in the days where there were no cars or busses or trains or airplanes this trip would have more than likely taken all day long. At least many hours. That got me thinking about the move from Portland down here to So Cal. If we had made a move like this back then we may never see our friends and family again. All communication would be reduced to a very slow mail service.

So it's interesting that we have all of this technology that puts us right at the fingertips of all of our friends and family but we're still so far apart. I guess as I was thinking about it I felt the challenge to make more effort to be closer to the people that I love and that love me. Not only that but to be closer to the people that I am with all day and the people that live right in my neighborhood. We have the means to be at a friends house in moments in comparison to what it would take without the technology of today. Even the small things like a phone call can make a difference in someone's day or even an email that is so much more instant than sending mail through some crazy guy that has to hike for days to get your mail to where it's going.

It is sad to me that with so much advancements in communications and travel technology we are all still worlds apart............

The Car Is In The Garage!

2005-10-02T00:45:00.000-07:00

I guess every move has it's own unique story. I'm not sure where to start except to say this has been harder than we expected. So I'll start the story now. Sit down for a bit and enjoy........

T H U R S D A Y six o'clock p.m.
I rushed home from work to pick up the truck from Uhaul. When I got there I was surprised to be in a very short line and got right to the front. The man helping me had a tag that read : "Store Manager". He pulled up my information in the computer system hitting one key at a time on the keyboard. He took my credit card and my License and asked the obligatory question, "would you like to purchase our insurance for 14 dollars?" I think he saw the look on my face at the start of the question that already stated a clear no.......so he started his sales pitch about how it will cover the vehicle and the contents.....blah blah blah. I of course held strong no matter how strong the pitch. Then he said, "so you will have this back at 7am tomorrow correct?" "Uhhhh......7am........that is not nearly enough time! I thought I had the truck for 24 hours!" He responded, "well I can see that is your preference but that does not mean that we can make it happen for you." He proceeded to print out some sort of disclosure with obscure references to exactly what was happening to me. The plan was to get the truck tonight and then pack it up. Then take off Friday morning and unpack at our pace here at the new house then use the truck to pick up the appliances that we had procured. Instead the Uhaul Store Manager changed all of that! Instead we would be loading a truck and unpacking it all in one night.

...seven o'clock p.m.
I arrived at the apartment where some of our small group from South County United had already showed up to start loading up. Now you know that I don't usually drop names here but I will this time.........First of all Rich was absolutely amazing and helped with the worst of it all. 3 flights of stairs are never fun. But everyone sacrificed, Ashley came by early and helped pack some last minute things and brought a fabulous cheese cake. Jo (Rich's wife who is also pregnant) also helped pack all the last minute stuff (which seemed to be a lot) and helped a very distraught Adalie fall asleep. Another amazing person: Jamie who we don't know all that well showed up and was incredible (amazing what people will do for others they don't even know.....AMAZING) here's to getting to know you better by packing all your junk!! Mike and Jamie and their kids were there and without their directing and pushing and comforting the job would never have gotten done like it did. Their kids helped watch ours and I think for the most part had a great time and stayed out of at least some of the trouble they would have gotten themselves in! Leo and his brother came over right away after hearing what we were up against and really pushed it all up a notch as Rich and started loosing some momentum. I think I was loosing the most. I'm really not in all that great of shape evidently.

.........30 min. after 11 p.m.
Mike and I arrive at the new house and begin to unpack the truck into the garage. We're both pretty spent at this point and had already made a fatal mistake of downing a cold beer before starting the unpacking. Not to mention the fact that Mike seemed to have eaten something that didn't agree with his digestive system and without saying to much his system was letting us both know!! We finished unpacking at 12:45 and called it a night.

F R I D A Y 7:30 AM
I dropped the truck off at Uhaul without any issues. I was kinda scared something would come up and I'd be charged some un-godly rate but was not so that is good. Jamie (Mike's wife) met me at the apartment and helped clean up the last bits. Also Andy Q. Came by with Santiago. Santiago was one of those guys that stands outside of hardware stores looking for labor type work. He was an amazing worker and made the project so much more smooth. It was amazing.

So there is always more to the story than what is told here but for now that is all. Thanks for reading and praying. A HUGE shout out to the people that helped us move. It could not have been done without you!! THANK YOU!!!

Bitter. Sweet.

2005-09-28T23:11:00.000-07:00

We are moving out of our apartment and into a house. Tonight has been the last night of packing before loading up the truck tomorrow evening. It's exciting but at the same time there are such amazing memories here. Not all of them great but hard to leave none the less. And oh if these walls could talk!!

Part of the story of this apartment is that it was our first down here in Orange County. And what a blessing it was!! We had been staying in other people's houses for 3 months by the time I finally found work and we could move in here. It was amazing just to have a place to call our own. But as is rest in our lives, that seemed to be a little short lived. Soon after moving in it felt like the walls of Orange County were closing in on us. We experienced a lot of pain and heart break here. A lot of wondering if we did the right thing. Even talk of just throwing in the towel and moving back to what we knew (Portland). A lot of sleepless nights wondering why on earth God would bring us down here just to leave us alone here.

Even though alone was the feeling it certainly wasn't the truth. We also experienced a lot of healing and growth here. A lot of searching our hearts and God's to know what was next. I don't think that we have come to any solid answers except that life is always about searching for the deeper truth. One layer at a time. There are very little absolutes. There is always something more waiting to be discovered right behind the first discovery. God is a mystery and I can never really figure out what the next step looks like or why we have to take the steps that we do.

With all that being said this apartment will always have a place in our hearts. Not maybe one of the greatest places we've lived but definitely one of being reassured of God's love for us and the truth of His love for us. I'm pretty excited to see what's next and how this last 13 months will play into the next.

So now.............some sleep for the weary..............

A Shout Out

2005-09-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

I don't do this very often but here is someone I gotta tell you about and if you don't already, you need to read his blog. Mike DeVries. This guy has got some things to say and challenges to make. This is someone I'm walking with and I would love for you to read what he's saying. I'll say no more and let his words speak the rest.............

http://www.awakening.typepad.com/

What You've All Been Waiting For.............

2005-09-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

.................I've been advertising this blog for a long time. I didn't realize how much I would have to wrestle with it but after some time and a lot of discussion and reading I have the start to an answer. The original question: "should a Pastor be Paid?" So here it is. I have been pondering this question for quite some time and wrestling with it myself. The question it's self was meant to spark interest and create some thinking which I think has been effective especially for me and I think the question has changed. I think the real question is what do we pay a pastor for? Maybe even: What does the word pastor mean? I do not disagree that a good teacher should be paid. What I do disagree with is putting him in an office that makes it hard to do just that. On top of teaching we ask our pastors to be CEOs, hospital visitors, crisis managers, manager of other church staff, etc........... Realistically no one can do all of what is required effectively. Something has to give. It is too much for one man to carry. But as society dictates we put a man in a "pastor" roll and continue to require things that he may not be gifted with. All this because he is being paid and because pastors before him did the same. He then gives, until there is nothing left to give and it starts coming from his blood, his soul and even his very livelihood. This is NOT what God has called us to be. So again the question is not really should a pastor be paid. The question is what should the pastor be paid for....as well as how do we move away from the show and the business and be something that is people and not machine. Because the church is not a building or a pastor or anything other than people and God. "Church" has become a fancy title for all of us meeting to fill all of our senses. We watch and require entertainment. Thus the show. It's all so backwards. Like I stated earlier, God has built us all differently and given us different capabilities so we can work together. It was never meant to be a one man show. Again, it wasn't even meant to be a show.
So back to the pay: I think we have to tear the whole thing apart and really look at what we are doing for money. And what we as a church are paying for as well. Is it a job with money or is it a passion with reward? And a question that any pastor (and for that matter anyone who has made a decision to really follow Christ) must look at some point or another: "What am I good at, What is it that God is calling me to do and what is the cost?" To be a good teacher is a privilege given from God not a right given to people who finish seminary. And I think if we look at it that way then the pay is a gift from God and not something that should be expected. If it were really passion we would do it with or without pay. I do think that a good teacher should be paid so that he can continue teaching. With all of that being said I want to pose the question again: "What is job description we give to our paid pastors? What is it that we require from these men and women?" Here are some things I found churches who are currently looking for pastors want and what they expect:

M. Div, Theology, or Biblical Counseling from recognized conservative Christian seminary
Three (3) years experience as a fulltime Senior Pastor or 5 years experience as a fulltime Associate Pastor in a 100-member or larger congregation
Conduct communion, baptism, weddings, and funerals
Effectively lead the church in the five purposes of a Purpose Driven Church
Be experienced with and committed to the CLASS 101-401 model
Good management and organizational skills

Well these are just some things I found.........I'm not done answering this question. The further I dig (even as I am writing this) the more questions I have. To recap what I feel is important here: I do think a teacher should be paid for teaching. I don't think a teacher should also be a CEO. I don't think "church" should be a business at all. I do think that the real church is YOU. I'd love to hear what you think. You can always email me at movingmountains@comcast.net or just click the comment button below this post. I encourage you to start on this journey with me. This whole question is a lot more about how church might look if we all started operating in our giftings and lifted up those around us doing the same thing. It's about being the church instead of just going to it. It's about moving instead of sitting in a chair.

That's all for now..............
...................more to come

this journey has only just begun...........................

The Flag Of Censorship

2005-08-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

So I was just looking at another blog out on blogspot.com and I noticed something a little disturbing. There is now a “Flag” button available to flag a blog with “questionable” material. Here are some quotes from Google:

“The "Flag?" button is a means by which readers of Blog*Spot can help inform us about potentially questionable content, so we can prevent others from encountering such material by setting particular blogs as "unlisted." This means the blog won't be promoted on Blogger.com but will still be available on the web — we prefer to keep in mind that one person's vulgarity is another's poetry. Or something like that.”

And:

“When a person visiting a blog clicks the "Flag?" button in the Blogger Navbar, it means they believe the content of the blog may be potentially offensive or illegal. We track the number of times a blog has been flagged as objectionable and use this information to determine what action is needed. This feature allows the blogging community as a whole to identify content they deem objectionable.”

I guess it’s really not a huge deal. It’s not that they are taking the content of the blog down. I guess what concerned me is that they are giving the power to………..who ever…………to determine who is offensive or not. You know, if you find something objectionable :: Don’t go there. Don’t read it. This is a website. Nothing is being forced down any ones throat. It can be read or discarded as easily as a click of a mouse button.

I think I understand what Google is trying to do here. It makes sense on a certain level. They aren’t taking anyone down. They are just not putting you in the pool of blogs promoted by Blogspot. Like I said, it’s not the action that bothers me as much as the method. I hope that this is not a situation in which the good people that run and oversee blogspot take the reader’s word for it. Just because a person’s flag button has been pushed doesn’t make it a site unworthy of a read. And again it can all be taken off your screen by the click of a button or not entering that web address in your browser.

It’s interesting how we all try to censor each other. I do agree that there are some things that cross the line. Anything that indicates a threat or harm to someone – of course that’s across the line. But what else? Me talking about God? Some one talking about their love of Islam? Me sharing views on politics, or the violence that takes place in Africa, or anything that rubs someone the wrong way. Should I (or anyone else) be censored cause it makes someone uncomfortable? Absolutely not! I may not agree with everything I read and a lot of people may not agree with what I have to say. That’s OK though. That’s a cool thing about us! We all have different thoughts on things and we all have the need to get that out in the open and in this country we even have the right to get that out in the open. I pray earnestly that we don’t loose that right! If we are going to come on the internet and start reading people’s blogs then we need to keep an open mind about what we’re reading. This in a lot of cases means that we are getting a glimpse into that person’s mind and what makes them tick. What makes them angry. What makes them excited. What drives them to be who they are. I can’t say that I agree with everything I’ve read out there and I can’t say that some of it hasn’t even offended me. But in no mean does that indicate a reason for them to be censored. So I say be careful how you define objectionable. Be careful that you don’t try and put people in boxes. Listen, in this case read, with caution and with the mind set that there are all sorts of people out there with all sorts of ideas. They have just as much right to share them as we do ours.

For Next Time:
I know I have been advertising for a long time a discussion on should a pastor be paid. I think I have, this time really come to a conclusion and so be looking for that!

So with that I am out!

2005-08-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Coldplay Live!

Last night we saw Coldplay at the Orange County Verizon amphitheater/Irvine Meadows. This was hands down the most amazing show I have ever been to. The light show was off the hook. The band was at the top of their game. Absolutely amazing. If you have the chance to see this band I would not miss the opportunity. It would be a very sad day to know that you missed this band. They are headed for greatness. This is not the kind of band that fades. This is the kind of band that becomes a household name. Definitely in my house! I will write more later and give you the whole run down!

2005-08-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

So where to start.............The job position that we thought was going to come through has not which is actually a good thing. I think it would have been a lot more stress than we need. We are still working with 2 churches. Pathway Ladera and South County United. SCU is going thru a lot of changes which I think is a good thing but definitely a hard thing as well. The pastor Troy has stepped down (I think I've said this before) and the question of what next is ever present. The question for us is where do we fit into it all. We've kind of been on the outside looking in a bit but I think that is starting to change. We've joined a small group that meets during the week which is great! Check out Mike's Blog - very cool guy! Mike leads the group. He's got some great insights and is a great thinker......love it!! It’s hard to know exactly what they need from us though. Is it really what we have to offer or is it just what we have to offer when there really isn’t someone else to do it? I’m not real sure where people are at with it all. But I guess that is all part of the change right now. I don’t think anyone is sure of anything. It is good to see though that people are still very interested in exploring new ideas and looking at it with open minds.

Things at Pathways are good. A little frustrating at times. Leading worship is hard there but I think it is getting better. This last Sunday was great, except me breaking a string. But even that had a place. It was a good broken kind of thing and only then can God really use us. Anyway, I think it will just take time for people to get used to us. I think we are vastly different from what they are used to and that is ok.

So with all of that plus my already very full time job things are just a bit crazy. I'm not 100% sure but I think there might be some end in sight. Something is going to have to give. We are praying about full time ministry again and how that might look for us. Please pray with us as we explore what opportunities might make that possible.

With that I sign off…….More for later

Oh yeah – if you have not noticed:
There is a new blog to check out: http://poorreflection.blogspot.com

2005-08-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

So we got no sleep last night. Adalie was up ALL night. I'm very tired right now.........I'm praying for the strength to make it through the day.

2005-08-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all! It's been awhile again. Been so busy!! Work has been crazy and I've been working really long hours almost every day. Today I am taking the day off to spend some time with my family with no agendas of having to get anywhere. I'm sitting out here with Adalie while she eats here chereo breakfast right now!!

I went to a hardcore concert with my brother on Saturday. We went to see Haste The Day. I don't expect anyone to really know who they are but they are one of my favorite hardcore bands. An interesting thing happened while I was there. While I was standing watching one of the bands play I had a day dream type thing. I was standing there and a guy got up on stage. He had a gun and lifted it up, pointing it directly at me. He said, "What are you gonna do now!?" I lifted my hands up and said, "For me to die is to live in Christ!" This kinda scared me a little. I'm not so sure I like the idea of dieing. Anyway a little bit later Jason and I were talking about how certain people have the spirit of God with them so much that when they walk into the a room the feeling in the room changes (Haste The Day was like that). How amazing it would be to be walking so closely with God that other people, Christians and non Christians alike could feel his amazing presence! As we were thinking about that I was thinking that this isn't something that just happens. It comes at a cost because to live in Christ and to have him live in you means you have to die to yourself and the world around you. After thinking about this all night and a lot of Sunday it started to click that God was asking me to die to myself in some area's that I am not dead to right now. Wow! So what next? I think the next step is to start asking where it is that I have started living as the world again. And then asking God to change me and take that back. I don't know that I like this process. I'm not even sure that I really want to have to go through it again but I do know that I want to live with Christ. I do know that I want him to use me and I do know that I want him to walk with me in such an apparent way that people will notice the difference. So yes - For me to die is to live in Christ! and for me to live in Christ is to really live!!

2005-07-18T15:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!! Wanted to give the update. Life has been very busy the last couple weeks. My boss here at Countrywide is out of town getting married so the majority of the work has landed with me which is OK - just stressful at times.

A lot of energy has been devoted to worship and that has been good. Yesterday was a little crazy. We led at 2 different churches but God showed up both times and especially at the 2nd church we led at. It was incredible. To start off my good friend Agusto came a long to play percussion with us which was blast! He needed a ride so I picked him up from the bario in Orange at 8am. Then back to the house to pick up the rest of the family. Our car is just not quite big enough to hold all of us plus one more so Agusto had to sit on the floor. I'm sure this is illegal but we made there and back OK. The first service went well. I think people were touched and there was some worship. I think it's a little hard for them because we are new and have a much different style than the previous worship leader. That can always be a little strange. I think the thing that I really want to get across there is that worship is not about the music or even the words that we so many times mindlessly sing. They appear on a screen and we just follow along because, well that's what we do at church right!? I fall into that even as a worship leader. It's hard not to. But that really is the challenge. Another hard thing is that we've switched things up a bit at Pathways. Worship was always on the front end of the service and now we have moved it to the back end which is a little hard for them I think. I might back off from that a little bit and do at least 2 upfront and the 4 on the back end (or how ever many it ends up being).
It was a very hot day and so thanks to a couple in the church we hung out at their house that was in the area until we had to be at the next church (South County United). A lot of cool stuff is happening there. A lot of change here too. The pastor is leaving to start another ministry or whatever it is that God calls him to do next (which we know a little something about!!). It was cool to see how the people were processing through this change and how this really is a place of worship and community. So many times people attend a church because of the pastor or because of a worship leader or something else that is material. SCU has a much different outlook and I'm excited to see what happens there.

2005-06-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

OK - so we did make it out to Pathway this morning and had a wonderful time connecting with some of the other young couples that also have young kids!! It's been so long since we have met people even remotely close to our age that also have kids. Especially hard to find down here in Orange County. After visiting and letting it all permeate we have said yes to Pathway. We will be leading worship there starting next Sunday! I am really excited to see what God does with us there as well as all the people. We also a had a great time hanging out this afternoon with the pastor of Pathway, Andy. Great guy and we really seem to be on the same page with most everything which is refreshing.

We also led worship at South County United this evening. It was a CRAZY evening. Everything seemed to go wrong on the front end. The sound system wasn't working properly and then the sound person that was supposed to show up didn't. My guitar strings started breaking. The power points weren't working so we couldn't project the words to the songs. The situation just started to get very stressful and that is never a good way to go into worship. I ended up taking some time out after we led a couple songs in the beginning, changed my guitar strings and prayed, "God please turn this thing around and take this back!" As I was praying I realized that God was asking us to just have a "living room" experience. I guess I should define what I mean. It's that feeling of just sitting around with great friends in the quiet setting of a living room and sharing life in a real and deep way. So I just unplugged and brought the stools up close to everyone (it was a small group tonight anyway, maybe 20 or 30). The worship was incredible. God definitely showed up and we worshiped in such a raw way that has really been missing for awhile.

I want to close this evening with a verse:

Matthew 11:28-30:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

We read this passage this morning and it struck me then but has stayed with me all day. We are all weary and burdened. Maybe not right this second but I would bet that at some point this week we will all leave a day weary or burdened or possibly both. God says: "I will give you rest." Also notice that he says "come to me." He is asking us to come to Him, to choose Him over all the other stuff that we use to medicate: TV, A stiff drink, A dip in the hot tub, etc. He is saying "spend time with me!" In God there is rest for our souls and when our soul is at rest so the rest of our body can be at rest.

2005-06-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend to everyone out there! We have had an interesting week. Lots of changes coming our way it looks like. First I will more than likely be taking a new position at Countrywide. I will be a loan officer for a new tract of houses. It's a pretty big deal and a very significant jump in pay. No guarantees but probably double what I make now. We'll see. We're just praying that God does what he wants cause this whole thing certainly hasn't been us. 10 months ago I didn't know the next thing about home loans!!!

The other pretty crazy thing is that we were contacted by a church that we've led worship for once to come on board with them and lead worship. It's certainly not a full time position right now (In fact one of our suggestions to them if we accept this position will be to not pay us anything). We're praying about this opportunity and are planning to stop by tomorrow and check things out from the outside looking in instead of the other way around. Sometimes the prospective is a lot different. Anyway - we'll see. Again more prayer is needed for this. We don't want to jump into this if it isn't where we're supposed to be right now. It has a huge potential to spread us very thin.

Last week I met a pastor from India. Amazing stories! It was interesting to here a perspective of God from someone in a completely different situation than we may ever see here. He plants churches in small very poor towns and pours Jesus' love on people. One of the things he said about evangelism I thought was really cool. I'm sure if you've been following this blog or if you know me, you know how opinionated I am about certain methods of evangelism. Well this guy nailed it! He was talking about how doors open to being able to talk about Jesus with people and he said the best way is to meet a need first. And not just meet a need but meet a need out of true love. The pure kind of love that really doesn't have a motive of selfishness. The idea is to give and serve freely and let God open doors to give testimony of himself. I just wanted to jump out of my seat and hug this guy when I heard him talk like this. Another thing that I thought was really amazing: because of their situation financial in India, a paid position for a pastor is very difficult to come by. The people in the church usually can not afford to pay for something like that. So they have started buying rice patty fields as God blesses them with enough money to do so. The land provides enough income to help pay for the ministry and then the pastors. Amazing!! I think it's such a foreign thought here to imagine a different way to pay for ministry than to take it from the pockets of those in church. Not that we shouldn't give to the "church" but can you imagine what we could do with the money we give back to God if there weren't so many other places for it to go. I mean a building, a staff, etc. You can make a list a mile long because church is such business now.

I must raise this question again: "Should a pastor be paid?" I am nearing at least some sort of answer that I can't wait to share - so soon.......be on the look out.

With all of that being said I will sign off for now. I'm excited and encouraged about what God is doing and where He has us right now. This road has been long and certainly not even close to finished but the testimony of what He has done for us is incredible. All Glory to the One True God!!

2005-06-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday to everyone! It looks like our house is back to good health. We all slept a bunch yesterday and everyone is feeling much better. Thanks to everyone for the prayers. A lot of people got around us in that way and even offered whatever we needed and that was really great. Huge shoutout to the people at South County United! They were awesome. So again THANK YOU!!

2005-06-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

. . : : N E W S F R O M T H E S O U T H : : . .

We have made it home safe but what a trip! On the way home we had to replace al 4 tires on the car. A bit of a story so I won't tell it all right now but the short of it is that it came down to really needing to replace them or be stuck in Cornning California. Crazy. God worked it out though - the people at Les Schwab really helped us out and gave us a great deal. We had some trouble with my pay getting direct deposited into our account. Again God made it possible to move money around and we were able to make it home. When we got home everyone started getting sick. We were up all night with Leif last night and even had to take him to the emergency room to get him checked out at 3 in the morning. Now it appears that Colleen has the same thing. Not quite as violent at this point and we are praying that it will stay that way.

So there is the news for now. Please pray with us as we work through this week with sickness. I'll write more soon!

2005-05-30T07:44:00.000-07:00

OK - Once again WAY too long. I really gotta work on writing our life down here a bit more.

We are on vacation right now. We actually came back up to Portland for just about a week. It's fun to be back and we're looking forward to seeing as many people as possible. Crazy schedule though. It's nice to get away from the hectic life style we seem to have adopted down in SoCal. I also forgot just how many trees we have here in Oregon. It's just amazing!!!

We were at a church yesterday and there was a prayer time in which someone in the congregation asked God if He would alow us to build the church. I'm not sure exactly what he meant by that but as soon as it was said Colleen and I both heard God confirming His answer. He said "No, I will build my church."

God sent Jesus to start and complete, in many ways, the building of His church. A lot of times I find that I have so many ideas of how church should or should not be done and some of them might be right, maybe not but the truth of all this is that unless those ideas are straight off God's blue prints, I am building my own church.

I have to stop and wonder how many churches are built on human principles instead of God's. We all have so much culture and society ingrained in us that our vision seems to become very easily clouded. It seems almost impossible to do anything without the influence of the world around us which starts to raise a lot of questions in my mind. How then would we know for sure that what we are doing in the name of God is in fact what He is asking? An example: "I believe that having any kind of instruments in our church building other than voices is evil and therefore all involved in such activities are opporating under Satan's influence." Is this statement truth? I say no but there is someone out there that says yes. I think it's absolutly crazy and has no merit and cannot be backed up with solid scripture but the person who believes this statement would argue that there is.

So I come back to God's statement to me yesterday: "No, I will build My Church!". I take this to mean that we need to follow God and test everything against His Word and ask that He search us.

Psalms 139:23-24 ::"23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way."

Psalms 26:6 :: "6 Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart."

These are my prayers this week as I examine what it is that God has called us to and where we're at in it all. It's a challenge. It's a challenge to really take a good look and ask God to also look at our motives and what drives us to do what we do.

With that I will close. Have a great week and like I said I will atempt to add more and more often!!

2005-04-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Good morning......happy Monday! I thought I would share some news with all of you. Another step in faith that we are praying about. We have been given an opportunity to go to Ireland at the end of this summer. The idea would be that we would play in some of the pubs and coffee houses in Ireland and Scotland. I'll flesh it out a little bit:

Like I've been talking about for so long people need us to come to them not ask them to come to a church program or something of the like. We want to bring Jesus to them. Not in a forcefully way but in the same way that Jesus did. The idea is that we would send teams of people. They would include the musicians in the band, people to run sound and take care of equipment (All of the sound equip. will have to be rented when we get over there), and then people to just sit out with the crowd and "mingle" if you will. The thought is to be able to make connections with the people in Ireland and Scotland. Another facet of this idea is that this would not be a one time thing. There will be teams hopefully going over twice a year. With that in mind we would not just go this year but probably try and make this something we do at least once a year. It's a very exciting opportunity and we are praying that God will give us guidance. One thing I know is that if we don't start moving in that direction we won't know if it is God's direction for us or not so we are gearing up to do this. There are lots of areas of prayer needed so I am writing this in hopes that just like our last big step of faith that you would be willing to partner with us in prayer as we head into this. For now: If it's God's will we will be playing music in Ireland and Scotland late this summer. Pray with us for further guidance and confirmation. Also pray for the team of people putting this together. It is obviously no small thing and we all really need prayer in a big way. I'll keep you all in the loop as we go forward with the plans.

I thank you for all of your prayers through our move to Southern California and all of your continued prayers through our time down here. God has blessed us in so many countless ways. I could never have even dreamed of what He would do with us down here. So thank you!

I'll write more soon. I hope you all have an amazing week!

2005-03-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone who may still be reading! I hope you all had a great Easter. I had a lot of revelations during this last weekend. We helped with worship at a church on Friday night. The pastor was speaking about death and more importantly the death that has to happen in us so that Jesus can be alive in us. An interesting thought. It got me asking the question: "what must I die to in order for God to live in me?" Galatians 2:20 says: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." What does it mean to be crucified with Christ? I'm not sure that I have an exact answer on this but what I am finding is that I must examine my life and once again take a look at all of the things that I am holding onto. What is it that I just don't want to give up to God. That's what has to be crucified. Not an easy or quick process. At least not for me. It's so easy to take stuff and hold on tight but it really is about faith isn't it!? ".....the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God....." this the crux of the whole thing. If it is by faith in God that we live then we must trust that God has a plan bigger than what we could dream for ourselves. Faith is probably one of the hardest things in my relationship with God. I've talked to so many people who agree that it is the same in their lives so I must assume that it is that way for the majority of us. It is hard to let go of the things that we think we can control. It seems easier to take them into our own hands and deal with them in the manner that we feel is best. So how do we give it up and crucify those things?? I don't know that I have an answer. I can tell you what I am doing though. I am asking that God do the searching and point out the things that I am holding onto. Once really convicted it seems harder to hold on to them than it is to let go of them so the choice becomes obvious. I can say that my experience with walking in faith and dying to myself has been rewarding. Look at what God has done in our life! I would not have been able to accomplish any of what has happened in the last several months on my own. It hasn't been my plan at all. God knew what he wanted to do with us and when we let Him, He really went to work. So for me this Easter: It is about me dying and Christ living!

2005-03-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

OK - It's been a month since I last posted something here so for you who are still checking here is the update! God is good! He has been doing a lot of healing in Colleen and I and in our ministry of worship. I will confess that I really thought that I was only called to be a worship leader for a short time, after we left the Portico. I didn't think that was where God had us anymore, but as usual, I was wrong. I still don't know what it looks like and I'm not sure that I'm material for the traditional worship leader on staff at a church but only God knows that for sure. I do know that the anointing I received a couple years ago is still in effect today. That being said it is certainly not something to sit on and let go to waste. He put that in me for a reason.

For the past few months we have been attending a church right here in Irvine called New Community. There is a lot of really cool people there and they are all talking about the same kind of lifestyle that we have been attracted to for a long time. It's the whole idea of community and changing church up a bit. It has to look a little different and needs to be more centered on Jesus than what it seems to have been in the past. Anyway we started helping the worship leader out a bit (actually quite a bit - every Sunday) for the last couple months and then got asked to go with he and his wife to another church they were leading at called South County United. It was a really cool experience and we walked away with a lot of new friends. It actually felt more like home than any church we've visited since The Portico. A couple weeks after we played there we were asked to actually lead worship which we hesitantly accepted and did last Sunday. It was an amazing time of worship and God really used us to bring people into His throne room. It was for Colleen and I a time of healing and a time of re-vitalization, if you will. It brought back the understanding that God was not finished with His plan for us down here in Southern California and that there just might be more opportunity to Lead like this.

So really all of that to say that God is still pulling out the stops on us and it surprises me every time! I have become convinced that you can never stop reaching for the goal until the day you die. God is never finished. The finish is when your finished. He doesn't give up even when we let go. I like it that He surprises me. I like it that He keeps me close to Him. What an awesome God we have. No matter how cliche that sounds, it is really quite true!

Other than that things are good. Work is amazing and for the most part I am really enjoying my job here at Countrywide. I have gotten a chance to meet a lot of cool people through it, and I have learned so much about the industry. The kids are good. They are growing fast and still loving the sun and all of the parks close by. Colleen is keeping her hands in people's hair as much as possible and is keeping our home a warm place to come home to every night for both me and all sorts of other people that we are meeting.

If your reading - please keep praying. The work is still not done. More to come soon...........

2005-02-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

Wow! It has been WAY too long since I have updated this. It has been a very crazy couple of months with juggling work and family. So I am sorry to all you faithful readers! We are all doing well despite the busyness. We are looking at moving into a new apartment. It is right across the way from us but it is bigger and that is becoming important. We are still trying figure out if we will be qualified with a lower move in rate. If so we will be moving in the middle of next month. Doesn't sound like a fun process but it would be nice to be in a bigger place.

Everyone is in good health and enjoying the sun as much as possible. I'll write more soon.

2004-12-31T08:19:00.000-08:00

And here we are. The last day of 2004! Again what an amazing year! I'm sure we have our own great stories of this past year. We do... as you know and as I've already told. I really have to wonder what is next. The one constant that I do know is that I don't know. I've brought this up before but here is what God told me about knowing: "If you knew what was next you would either not go at all or skip all the middle for the end." So very true. He knows and that is what really matters. One day at a time right!? Hard to do. Seems impossible at times. All I have to do though, is look at my history and know that He is there and working. If nothing else this has been a year of God proving his Sovereignty to me. I am thankful to be where we are. The experiences of this past year have defined who I am right now. While I really wouldn't want to go through them again, I like what I have learned and who I am right now. So thank you God for 2004 and I pray you continue to show us who you are and who we are in you in 2005!

2004-12-30T08:19:00.000-08:00

2 more days left in 2004! How crazy. As I get older, each year seems to fly by even faster than the one before. No exception for 2004! It's been a full one though. A year ago I was just about to find out the job I had been at for 5 years was coming to an end. I was moving out of my position at Sylvan Hill Church and into a huge unknown. Shortly after 2004 started we realized that God was leading us to SoCal. Then we found The Portico. After that the whirlwind that ensued could quite possibly be the closest thing to a tornado I've ever experinced! But here we are in Southern California. It turned out different than we could have expected, but that's ok. God is sovereign, and I am daily trying to realize that this is absolute truth! It's hard, but life makes a lot more sense if God is in it. All my plans are for naught anyways. So who knows what 2005 has to offer, but I know that it will be exciting. The Baker house seems to always be full of that! Happy last days of 2004 to you all!!

2004-12-27T08:13:00.000-08:00

Hello! I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. We sure did. It was a lot of fun to see the kids really get more of the meaning of Christmas this year. They of course also had a great time opening gifts and were sad when there weren't anymore to open!! We really missed everyone that we could not be with this year.

Here is some food for thought:
Something we talked about yesterday in church really hit home to me. It's so easy to get caught up in life that we leave God out. What does our time spent with Him look like and what does He want it to look like? I think that one of the major things that God wants from us is for us to open our hearts up to Him. That sounds a bit cliche but maybe we should explore that a little more. What does it mean to open our hearts up to Him? One thing I know that I have been lacking is honesty. Of course He knows everything about me so it is easy to just let that be it. But what He really wants is for us to tell him. I am finding that as I tell Him what is going on in my head, I can be more honest with myself. It feels good to open that door and really explore all of the closed closets. It's not easy to admit some things but once they are admitted it is a lot easier to clean out the closet and leave it clean. When you stop and think about it, it makes no sense to keep all that stuff to yourself because like I said before God knows it anyway. So not being honest with Him means that we're just lying to ourselves. That just seems silly. Why? Why would I lie to myself? Well sometimes I just don't like to embrace the truth. Sometimes I like the status quo. Or at least I think I do. It just ends up festering and becoming a bigger issue than it was originally. There is something freeing about opening those doors and allowing God to see and hear what's in there. I think that when we are honest with God and ourselves real healing can begin. Even if our lives seem pretty together and there isn't some "big" sin in our lives there is always room for healing. We are human. Our "fate" if you will is to be dragged down and to die from the inside out. But God sent Jesus to change that for us. He opened communication and desires us to come and be with Him every day. Another clique line but so true: "God sent us His son so we could live and not die. So we could really experience life inside. What an amazing opportunity that we seem to choose not to take way too often. I say this for myself but I know that there are so many of us who do the same thing. So what does it mean to open our hearts to God and be with Him everyday? Well just that. It doesn't mean we have to have to light candles and say a certain prayer. It doesn't mean that we have to come to Him in a state of "godliness". He just wants us to give up what we're holding on to. He wants us to just be with Him. I want to start this new year really embracing that and want God with with me not just watching me. My challenge to myself and anyone else who wants to join me is to include Him in all of my life instead of leaving Him behind. That means all the good, the bad and the inbetween.

2004-12-23T08:22:00.000-08:00

Good morning to you all! MERRY CHRISTMAS! What a year this has been. I keep thinking that a year ago we were so unsuspecting of what was ahead. It really has been quite a ride. We have been down here in SoCal for 6 months now. It doesn't seem to get any less crazy. But then I guess anyone who knows us well enough will know that this is a common thing in the life of the Bakers! I am just so thankful this Christmas (and all year round) for God's provision for us. We have never gone hungry, never gone without a roof and all glory to Him for that. I also just want to say again, thank you to everyone who helped us through this transition. So many of you prayed and helped financial and helped with a place to stay and helped with brute strength to get our stuff into a truck, out of a truck into storage, out of storage back into several trucks, back out of the trucks and then up 3 flights of stairs! I thank all of you! It's so amazing to have friends and family around us that are willing to help out like that. I will never forget what you have done! Again Thankyou to you all and once more:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2004-12-13T08:20:00.000-08:00

Good morning all. It was a nice weekend away from it all for us. We had a nice time hanging out with my brother and sister and their other halves. Nice big dinner and lots of great talk. It's good to have family! Hope you all had a good weekend.

O F N O T E:
This Sunday the message was one that really made sense to me and I would like to share some of it. Coming up on Christmas I'm sure that every pastor is trying to figure out what kind of message to bring. It's hard to bring something that will challenge and bring newness to this season. What I heard this Sunday was a great challenge. They spoke about leaving Jesus behind. That may sound somewhat clique but it is true. Around Christmas time we tend to leave Him in the Manger. It's not bad to celebrate that because obviously that was an amazing day and the begging of something incredible! The challenge however is not to leave Him there while we live our lives. To live as though He is standing right next to us because He is! It got me to thinking about how I look at him the whole year round. He does seem like something unattainable but that is untrue. He is not in the manger anymore, He is not stuck on the cross and He is not stuck up in the sky somewhere. The spirit is here with us always. Not a new concept at all but one that was a good reminder for me. It makes it all so much more real. Jesus was born and died and then rose again so we could have have a real relationship. He broke down the wall between us and God. We can have that relationship. So, for me this Christmas I really want it to be less about all the symbolism and more about my relationship with God and with those around me who need Him.

Still stay tuned: I am still working through my thoughts on paid positions within church. I have some things I am excited to share. Coming soon...........

2004-12-03T08:16:00.000-08:00

Hello to another Friday! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and all. We traveled out to my uncle's house in Beaumont. It should have been an hour drive but the traffic was so bad that it took 3 hours to get there and 2 to get back. Crazy! It was a good time though. Got to see family that we haven't seen in years. It was nice to catch up some.

We have started going to a church called New Community right here in Irvine. The pastor, Tim Timmons, is a really great speaker and is talking about a lot of the stuff we are going through right now so that is cool. I'm still trying to collect my thoughts on church and how it should look. The thing is that it looks different for everyone. Just like we were talking about originals, for us it needs to be about community and closeness. It's about getting to really know people. So many times I feel like we go to church and put on the "church face". There seems to be an unsaid (sometimes it is said) rule that when we come to church we need to leave our problems and all the mess of life at the door. So if that is the case then what do we have? Well, a bunch of fake people. It just makes church a show. Personally I just can't do that anymore. I don't want to go to the show and I don't want to put it on. I want to be close with people and know what it is that drives them and what drags them down. I want to be able to share my own life with people. I really need and know other people do as well to be built up so that I can go out again. That isn't something that should happen once in awhile. That is a constant thing.

My next question: Should a pastor be paid? I'll share my thoughts next time........

2004-11-23T11:03:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Thanksgiving is almost here! We kinds of skipped right over it and already set up our Christmas tree and decorations. It feels very nice and cozy. It's been cold here. Feels even a little bit like Portland.

T H E J O U R N E Y:
So this is a long time coming for all of you. First of all I have to say thank you for all of your prayers and everything else that so many of you gave to us. Please don't stop praying. Here is what's been going on in this journey down here in SoCal.

It's been a very interesting and difficult time in our lives. A little over a month ago we stepped down from our position at The Portico. Most of the reasons I can not really go into too much detail about here. For now we are really focusing on our family and our new life here in Southern California which looks a lot different than it did in Portland and then of course my new job as well. We are searching ourselves and God to find what it is that He is calling us too next. There is no doubt that Portico was what God was asking us to come here and do but the time frame was much smaller than I had imagined it would be. A lot of what God has been showing us is our original passion and call. I am trying to put everything that He has shown me in the last couple years into focus and really dive into what it might be that He is asking. I will write more about all of that soon. I want to continue to share this journey with everyone who is willing to listen (or read!). Please continue praying for us as we go forward from here and continue this walk of faith. There really is no doubt that it is a continued journey of faith but one also of hope and of love. I stand in the knowledge that God has not changed His mind about us and continues to have a plan for us everyday. I have shared this quote a couple times now but it is fitting once again. Before we made the move down here I asked for a bigger picture. Like all of us, I think, I just wanted to know more. God told me: “I can not show you more than the step you’re on because if I did you would either turn and run or jump to the end.” So very true! Stay tuned as this story unfolds. There is definitely more to come!

2004-11-05T08:10:00.000-08:00

Good morning -
Friday! It's been a busy week here. It's gone really fast. Not really sure where it all went! We've booked our first show here. November 19th we will be playing a local coffee shop. We have some new music to share and are looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with live music. It's been awhile so there is a lot of practice needed!

There is still more to share. Still I need to find the words to say and so stay tuned. More is to come. I will say this. God has a way of using all circumstances for His glory. That has not and will not change. I can't say it enough how He is in charge and I am not. I need to learn how to walk in the day He has me in and not push ahead too far. It always ends up different than I planned.

Thank you for continuing to read and share this move with us. God is not done with any of us and His plans are to great for me to fathom. Continue praying with us for guidence and strength.

2004-11-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

I have not been as good at keeping this updated as what I hoped I could be. There is so much that has happened and I don't know that I have the words to explain it all right now. I am working on that. I don't know if you remember or not but some time ago God told me this: "If I told you what the next step was or the whole picture you would either skip to the end or never go at all." So very very true! Don't take this to mean that things are all bad. That is not the case. Just hard. I will explain more soon. Stay tuned............

2004-10-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Hey - quick message to say that we are in fact still alive! I can't write too much right now because of time constrants but I have lots of thoughts and stories to tell you all soon. We are all doing well. Adalie is growing fast. Leif turned 4 today! Ezra is adjusting to being the middle child but most of the time is enjoying it. Colleen is doing well and has almost completely recovered from birthing a 9 pound baby! I am enjoying work and continue to learn a lot about mortgages and Countrywide.

Keep praying the battle is never over. I will tell you all more about it soon but for now all Glory To God for all that He has done, all that He is doing and all He is about to do!

~Peace

2004-09-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hey!
I am writing to you all from work! How wonderful it is to say that. J It’s been a little hard coming back. It was nice to have a break but it also feels very good to have a job to come to in the morning. I have a window right next to me so that is nice. I get to see outside a little bit. I am learning a ton about home loans. If you have any Mortgage questions or need one let me know! The office is small. Only a handful of people which is a huge difference from my last job. It’s nice to be in such a teamwork oriented work environment.

Adalie is doing great. She remains to be the easiest baby. She doesn’t cry all that much. Only when she is really really hungry. The boys are really warming up to her which is great. It’s fun to watch them hold her and give her kisses.

An Update On The Portico:We had our first Sunday morning at the Ugly Mug. It was great. A little rough around the edges but that is the way we are anyways. I think I got used to being out on the steps of Chapman University and didn’t realize how much I had adapted to it. Being back inside will be a bit of an adjustment for us all but we are really looking forward to what God has for us and the community there at the Ugly Mug.

For now that is all. I will keep you all updated of course. Please keep praying with us for the daily challenges planting a church. Thank you for being with us in prayer in all that we have been through to get us to this moment. It’s not over yet. Keep praying!!

2004-09-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

OK - I have the promised pictures.

http://home.comcast.net/~movingmountains/adalie/

Here is some of our news:

The Praises:

I start my new job tomorrow!
Colleen is recovering remarkably. She is already up and running and it's almost impossible to get her to sit down.

The Prayers:

My start day at work was pushed back and so at this point we are a little short for rent. I am excited to see how God works in this. We can already see it moving.
Continued health for Colleen and Adalie.

2004-09-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! Great news! Adalie has arived! She was born on September 9th at 9:41AM. She is 9pounds 3 oz. and 21 in. long. The delivery went really well. Very smooth and Colleen is already up and moving at close to full speed. I think she was built for babies. :) I'll write more later and add pictures too! Thank you for praying and don't stop now. The battle is not over. I just have to say this one more time:

All To God's Glory!

2004-09-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Still no Baby. Very soon though. We had an appoint this afternoon to use some sort of gel that helps with the preparation of having a baby. After a check up though they said that Colleen didn't need it because she was already 2 - 3 cm dialated and 75% effaced. If you don't know what all of this means that's ok cause I don't either. All that I care is that she is well on her way. If things still look like this or better tomorrow morning for our next dr. Visit then we will be sent over to get induced. So tomorrow or Friday looks very promising. Please pray for safety for both Colleen and Adalie. I'll let you all know as soon as possible and provide great pictures of the cutest girl every born!!

2004-09-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

Hello from sunny California! There is so much to tell. We don't have internet access so that is why this has been so spotty. Sorry for that. We're working on getting something hooked up very soon. Here is the news:

We have moved into our new apartment! We are so excited to have our own place. It wasn't without it's own set of trials though. We looked at so many apartments and very few of them had a washer and dryer in the unit and many of them did not have a refridgerator either. So we started looking hard at the ones that did. They were all expensive but we figured that in the long run it would be worth it. The first one we looked at was in Irvine. The problem there was that I didn't make enough money. I needed to make $4700 a month! Kinda crazy. So that was out. The next one we looked at was right here in Orange but did not feel very warm. You had to walk down a long hall kinda like a hotel. Parking was in a parking structure and the view was of the parking structure and the freeway. It was a little cheaper though and they said they were pretty sure all of our income and credit looked good. We paid the $60 fee to apply and then got denied. No it wasn't for income. It wasn't because of credit. It was because Colleen didn't have a job and hadn't had one in the last 6 months! That was a very discouraging day. So we came back to Irvine after finding an apartment even cheaper than what we had been looking at. They worked with us and got us in! It is on the third floor so that is a little less desirable but it is our own place and it feels really big. The kitchen is huge and all the appliances are new. It has 2 swimming/hot tub areas that also have BBQs built in to big counter tops. We, of course, have been getting some use out of that! Praise God for a place to live that is our own.

I did get a job and was told that I would be able to start on the first of this month but evidently the company takes a long time to hire people and now it won't be until the 15th at the soonest. This is obviously not good since I was counting on the money to pay rent and all of my other bills. Please pray that God would provide. I know He has a plan. His sovernty is very apparent in all of this. Another thing I know to be true for us is that God wants to use us to bring glory to Him. For this time it does mean induring some things that are less than ideal but the end is way more than! This is not only for us but for anyone that chooses to step out of the boat and walk on water. It's tough. I can't lie - I've started to sink on more than one occasion. But I do know that Jesus is right there to pick me up and help me to continue walking with Him on the water.

So I am sure what everyone has been dying to know: Is there a baby yet!? No.
Adalie, much like our boys, is late. The first of this month was the due date but she has still not made any attempt to come out and see us. Colleen had a Dr. Appoint. today where they monitered and did an ultra sound. Everything looks good and we have another appointment on Tuesday so at that point if she still has not come out we'll talk about inducing I'm sure. Keep praying for saftey for both Colleen and Adalie.

Portico is still amazing. We are investing so much time into the people around us as we live our lives. You can pray as this month holds some big changes though. This Sunday (the 5th) we are having our first babtism. We are all very excited for the people who are stepping up and shouting that they are a follower of Christ. The following Sunday (the 12th) we are starting our sunday morning services at a coffee shop here in town called the Ugly Mug. It's a really great place to hang out and perfect for what we are doing so we are very excited.

Keep praying. There is still a storm. There are big waves. It's crazy and it's scary. We're cerntainly not in control.

2004-08-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

I HAVE A JOB!!
Hey everybody! I got a job today. I will be starting with CountryWide Mortgage the beginning of September. Praise God! All Glory to God!

Please pray now that God would provided an apartment. We will start searching today and tomorrow. We are going back out to Monrovia to stay tonight. Thanks to the Wrights for letting us stay with them for a week. It's been nice and relaxing. They have a great porch and the evenings have been cool so there has been a lot of time out on the porch talking. I'll update some more soon.

2004-08-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

Hey this has to be quick. Don't have a lot of time. Sorry this is so sporadic lately. The news is that we are staying with friends in orange. That is going well and we will probably be here until Monday. Then back to Monrovia for a while. I have a job interview on Monday with a company that I would really like to work for. It is a lunch interview so I really can't loose either way! God is good. Sometimes it's hard to see. But He is good. We have a roof and we have food. All glory to God. Something will break loose very soon. 12 days until Adalie is due! Pray that we have a place to live before that. We love you all and thank you for praying with us through this.

2004-08-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Again I feel the need to apologize for not updating this sooner. There are lots of excuses but not really important I suppose. So on with the news:

The interview with Enterprise did not go well. It went both ways. I didn't feel that it was really a company that I would feel comfortable working with so it is good that I was not offered a job. The interview with the Irvine Company went very well. I was not very qualified for the job I was interviewing with but the person doing the interview liked me quite a bit and so sent my resume on to another department that was in need of someone like me. So I am still waiting for a call from that department but that might be a good place to land if possible. I also have an interview with the Federal Government through Adecco today (Tuesday) at 2. The pay is a little less than what I was hoping for but it does sound like a fun and challenging job.

In other news we are staying with friends out in Irvine (South Orange County) for the week. We are really starting to get a feel for Southern California!!

OK - long story but somehow all of this was deleted and is now back so I will make an amendment here to give a little more update:
The interview with the Feds went ok. It wasn't great but I will find out tomorrow whether I get the job or not. I also had a lead today with a company called Countrywide Mortgage. I brought my resume in and got 5 min. With the manager. It went really well and she is looking over my stuff. I will talk with her again tomorrow and see where we're at if it looks good from that point she will do a background check and then we'll go from there. It looks really good though. Some of my mortgage friends say everything she told me sounded very positive so that is good to hear. So along with that I just have to tell you how community is so wonderful and God uses brothers and sisters. I got the application for this job from a friend from The Portico. He gave me all the info. And as we were talking another member of the church came up and told us that she knew the person that I was going to see because she did the loan for her house. Her brother in law also works for the company very high up so she called this morning and recommended me. I didn't even remember that she was going to do that but because of that and because of the fact that I made the effort to get myself in there and make it a point to see the manager it's looking really good. So a HUGE shout out to Paul and Sharon. It's all about God's plan and His people. Amazing............Some more amazing is this. We are out of a place to stay tomorrow. We were talking about staying in a hotel so that we could be just our family for a couple days. A friend of ours heard about this and contacted some people she knows and it looks like we will be staying at the Disney Hotel for free. It's a 4 star hotel and cost about 275 a night. Crazy! We don't know for sure that it will work out but it looks like it so I'll let you all know soon. This will cover 2 of the 3 days we need. Please pray for the 3rd to be covered somewhere too.

Some Thoughts:
A couple weeks ago I fasted and took a good day to just pray and listen to God. He took me into Matthew. Matthew 14:13-36:

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." 16Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17"We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish," they answered. 18"Bring them here to me," he said. 19And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Jesus Walks on the Water 22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24but the boat was already a considerable distance[1] from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear. 27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid." 28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." 29"Come," he said. 30Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!" 31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God." 34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

It's really all about faith. It's the faith that when God calls we can get out of the boat and make it through the impossible. The impossible is what gives God the glory and that is the point anyways. I have felt so many different feelings going through this time down here in California. I felt desperation, I've felt on the top of the world, I've been frustrated, angry, confused and honestly there has been times that I asked if I had done the right thing moving my family all the way down here for nothing. It's kinda like the Israelites escaping from Egypt. They looked back and saw the Egyptian army chasing them. Of course fear set in and their question was: "Was there not enough room in Egypt to bury us!?"

So in answer to my questions and many others as well: right before the passage above Jesus found out that John had been beheaded. As soon as He found out He tried to escape but people saw where he was going and stopped him. He had such compassion that he stopped his own agenda to meet them where they were at. Even in his own sorrow he put people before himself. The next question is does God (Jesus) change. The answer is no and so He most definitely be there for me. Not only that but as I write this He is working miracles that I can't even see. His hand is in it all.

Jesus then comes walking on the water to where the disciples are in their boat. Peter says: "if it is you Lord then call me to walk to you on the water." Jesus replies: "It is I." Peter gets out of the boat and walks but then must have realized where he was and started to sink. The thing that I think is so amazing about this is that he was out of the boat. I know that we can all understand Peter and various points in the gospels and in this story I totally am with him. We have gotten out of the boat and started walking but there have been times that we realized what we were doing and where we were at and that is very scary. The thing is is that God's rebuke has been gentle just like it was with Peter and yet still forcefully and also He has picked us up and put us back on the water. For this moment there is no getting back into the boat. I am convinced that it will either looking for a job or finding an apartment or whatever it is that is next.

Next is the people that met them on the other side again. They brought their sick and new that if they could just touch Jesus' robe they would be healed. That is faith. That is the faith we all need. and so in conclusion it all comes down to knowing first that God is a loving God and one that will pay attention. Second we must get out of the boat. And finaly have faith that God is bigger than anything we could possibly throw at him and just believing that touching His cloak is enough to heal will be enough to heal. I am now convinced beyond a doubt that their is no great joy than to see what God can do. You want some more stories call me or email me and I'll tell em. It's amazing what God will do when we let Him.

So I'm out for now but go in faith and be challenged. In what way is God calling me to step out of the boat?

The Praises:

God continues to prove that He is God and I am man.
I have had a lot of interviews and am becoming a pro.
It looks like there are some very promising leads that are being worked on as we speak.
For all of the places and the people we have stayed and stayed with and for the blessing of a possible stay in a hotel with just our family.

The Prayers:

That a job would come through quickly.
That once the job comes an apt. would come through quickly.
For a place to stay on Sunday night. Then we will be staying with someone until Wed. Please pray for God to open doors for after that.
Continued prayer for The Portico and all of the people that are here with us and also those who will be with us.

2004-08-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. Just wanted to give you another update. I have 2 interviews lined up for this week. One with the Irvine Company and the other with Enterprise. The one with Irvine Co. is Wed. @ 3pm. The other is at 10am on Thur. Please pray that God's will would be made known. Both of these jobs seem like very good opportunities and I really just want what God has.

We are loving our time with my grandmother out in Monrovia. It's quite a drive back and forth but worth it to be with them for a little bit.

More to come soon.

2004-08-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody,
Sunday afternoon. Just finished up a birthday party for Jon's daughter Maggie. The kids had a lot of fun. Church was great today. We are still meeting on the steps for the next couple weeks. It has been a blessing to be there especially since it's free! We will be moving into a coffee shop called The Ugly Mug the Sunday after labor day. It's a really great opportunity. The owner is letting us use it for a VERY small fee. He will be open for business which is also really cool. So pray that God would work as we transition from the great outdoors to an enclosed space.

Our time with my sister Aimee and her husband Justin has been good. I'm sure they will be glad to be rid of us and our loud kids tomorrow though! We will be headed out to Monrovia to stay with my Grandma for a few days and then after that we have had a couple of other offers. God is good! He is allowing us to rest a little and know that we have a roof. It's been really hard not knowing.

The Praises:

We have our first Dr. Appoint here in Orange for Adalie. It will be tomorrow (Monday, 11:15am). The Dr. We found is really great and we Medi-Cal will be paying for everything so praise God for that! This was also weighing heavy.
We still have a roof over our head. We will be staying with Aimee and Justin for another night and then from Monday to Friday we will be with my grandma out in Monrovia. After that if we still need to stay with someone we have had 2 offers from friends at The Portico.

Prayer Requests:

I still need a job. We are praying for one that would be fun for me and also pay enough to meet our needs here in on Orange County. I am certainly not closed to a job that I might not enjoy as much as another but we are just praying for the whole package. God has the plan and we really want what He has for us.
A place to live. We are really praying that God would provide our own place before Adalie comes. She is due September 1st.

As I've said before we really appreciate all of your prayers. It's nice to know that we are people have our back in that way. It is much needed and probably the most important thing you can do for us right now. Thank you so much to all of you!

2004-07-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hello this morning from Riverside. We are staying with My sister Aimee and brother in law Justin. Thank you so much to them for putting us up for a couple nights. Sorry I didn't get this up sooner but we had a place to sleep last night so Praise God!

On another note.............I had a very productive day yesterday in the job market. I signed up with Adecco which is another temp agency. Some of you might remember that I got my job at Stream with them 5 years ago. I was still in their system and so it was really easy. I went down there and met with a lady who said that she had a job that she thought I could do. I am waiting to hear if I am getting an interview. Please pray. It sounds like a really cool job and the pay is a lot better than I have been seeing from anyone else.

The Praises:

We have a place to live for the next few days.
I had a great job lead.
We are still making great connections at the Portico and starting to focus on relationships outside of The Portico as well.

The Prayers:

First that God would provide a job quickly now.
Also that as soon as the job comes a place to live would follow.

Thank you for all of your prayers. Stay on the edge of your seat. There's a lot more to come. A quote from and earlier post:

"Stay tuned. I am sure that the best is yet to come!! "

The other side of that also means the hardest is yet to come. Keep praying!

2004-07-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Hey just wanted to give you all an update on my interview on Friday. It went VERY well. The pay is not so good. I do have another interview this week sometime with the CEO of the company though. I am looking forward to that and it is possible that I may be able to talk them up in pay because of my experience. The company is called toner world. They sell toner for laser printers which as most of you know I have worked with for the last 5 years. It's a good fit except the pay. Keep praying.

Again we are out of a place to live on Wed. Please pray that God's plan will be revealed. It's all about His glory!

2004-07-23T09:37:00.000-07:00

Good morning. I hope you are all doing well. My interview that I told you about in my last note went ok. It didn't seem to go great. It took me longer to get ready than it did to have the interview. Not sure what that means. It was the HR department that was interviewing and I am told that is often how it is with them. We'll see. I have another interview today with a different company. Please pray. We are also in need of prayer for a place to live. Our stay here is coming to an end this Wed.

God has a plan. I don't know the next step but it is so obvious that He wants us here in Orange. Knowing that helps us get through the days. It would be so nice to have a place to live and a job to go to.

Praises:

Colleen is on the California Health plan so Adalie will be born for free!
It looks like the rest of the family will also be able to be on the plan.
We have a roof over our heads.

Prayer Requests:

I need a job.
We need a place to live starting next Wed.
We need a permanent place to live.

Thank you for all of your prayers and please don't stop. We are in good spirits and know that God is still working even though it is hard to see right now.

2004-07-15T17:41:00.000-07:00

Hey All! Here is a quick update. 1st Colleen has got a couple hair appointments set up so there is some income. 2nd I have an interview tomorrow with a company called SafeCo. They have a call center and need a Senior Rep. which many of you will remember is exactly what I was doing in Portland. This is all great news and God is faithful!

All to His glory!

2004-07-14T09:14:00.000-07:00

OK - I'm sorry I haven't been so good in updating this. We have been very busy. We have been moving around a little bit. We picked the boys up last Thursday and then stayed with a friend in her apartment here in Orange. Yesterday we came back to the Jon and Jana's to stay. It has been really hard on the boys moving around so much and not really having their own home. Ezra for a while just wanted to be in the car all the time. Sometimes he still would rather be in the car. They are having fun with all of the kids down here. I think it is good for them to get to be with friends often.

I am still looking for work and don't have anything so far. I was able to go to a job fair yesterday in Anaheim and met some cool people. One job seemed very promising. The position is almost exactly what I was doing in Portland except minus the technical part. I also met some people from a college called Platt College. They specialize in graphic design and multimedia with a concentrated area in web design. I am really interested in taking a couple courses to see if I can get my skills in that area a little more marketable. Just some thoughts at this point.

The Portico:
Things at the Portico are amazing. God is really working here in a new way. We have been able to hang out with people every single night of the week and none of it has been pushed. There is no program and no rushing off to this or that. It's organic and beautiful. We are sharing meals together and our lives and becoming close with the community here. We are seeing lives changing around our communities and I believe that God is opening the eyes of people to see His plan for His people here in Orange. It is so wonderful to be a part of this. All Glory to God for getting us down here and continuing to work on our behalf.

Praise:
--> The beautiful sunny weather!
--> We are still eating and have a roof over our heads!
--> Gas is so much cheaper down here when compared to Portland. $2.11 a gallon.
--> God is faithful and has continued to show his plan to us. Not always as quickly as we would like but we know we're in the right place doing the right thing!

Prayer Requests:
--> At the top of the list is a job.
--> And then of course a place to live of our own.
--> Continued spiritual growth at The Portico.
--> Continued Community growth at The Portico.

Again ~ALL GLORY TO OUR LORD GOD ALMIGHTY~

2004-07-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

How to fit the contents of a 15 foot truck into a 10x10 storage unit:

2004-07-07T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hey all! What a week. We have had a couple opportunities to hang out with my brother, sister and brother-in-law. It's been a lot of fun to be close. We have met so many new people. It's so cool to be down here and see God working in so many different ways.

I am aggressively looking for work but so far I don't have any solid leads. I am working with Apple One which is a staffing company. I am hoping that they may be able to come up with something for me. We are really praying that God will just bring the right job and it will be clear. This whole thing is to His glory and so I don't think this part of it will be any different. I'm just trying to do my part.

We miss you guys. Keep praying. There's more to come!

2004-07-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

First Another Huge Shout Out:
Moves are never fun to make but we have had some major help and I just want to thank those people. It would not have been possible without the help we received.

First again thank you to everyone who supplied financial means for us to get down here. There were several of you and you know who you are. Thank you for wanting to be part of something crazy. I'll tell you how far God has spread that money in just a minute.

I also want to thank everyone who has been praying. This is the biggest request that anyone doing what we are doing could ask for. It feels a little clique for me to say this but: We could really feel all of the prayer. There was no doubt that God was covering us the entire trip and we appreciate the prayers more than you could know!

Our movers were great! I am going to drop names this time! My best friend Kevin stayed the night with us on Monday and then got up early with me on Tuesday to start tearing apart the house and then helped me get the truck. He stayed until he had to go to work at 4:30 but without his help we would not have made it (by the way, Kevin had to work from 4:30 that night to 10. Then had to get up and work at 9 in the morning the next day. Not only that but he stayed up with until about 1 in the morning the night before!) Kevin if you are reading this: THANK YOU! Colleen's Mom and Dad (Vic and Dana) helped out quite a bit as well. They took care of our kids countless times during the move process to give us more time to pack as well as coming on the day of our move to help us finish packing, clean and get everything into the truck. They also supplied lunch and dinner on that day! THANK YOU! My parents arrived safely from their long trip to get to us and started in right away as well. They helped pack up some last minute boxes and clean as well. Of course they got up early with us the next day and took our kids with them back to their house. Another 12 or 13 hour drive! THANK YOU! Jon and Jana Cochran: first they are letting us stay with them for a little while. Amazing! Jon helped me unpack the truck into a storage unit which sounds a little easier than packing it but that is NOT true. We got a storage unit here in Orange but it is on the second floor. The cost was just too much for anything else. The problem with this of course is that every thing has to be loaded onto an elevator and then hefted down a couple hallways to our unit. On top of that it feels like about 1500 degrees in there and so we were just pouring sweat. Jana and Colleen packed boxes on the cart to send up to us. (a side note: when we unload this thing I am going to make sure there are like 20 in shape guys there to help get it all out!) Jon and Jana, THANK YOU!

Now On To The Story:
Ok so here is the story. That's what's so cool about road trips right!? We left the house at 7:30 AM on Tuesday. We got about 10 miles down the road (for those in Portland: right by the Hwy 217 onramp off of I-5) when we started hearing some metal dragging on the ground. We pulled over and found that the jack that holds up the trailer when it is not connected to the truck had broken and was dragging on the ground. I called the road side assistance for Budget and the guy asked me if I had something I could just tie it up with. I didn't and so he said he would have someone come out. 2 HOURS LATER a guy showed up with a piece of rope to tie up the jack. The problem with tying it rather than fixing it is that in order to get the trailer off of the truck this jack is required. In order to empty the truck the trailer has to come off. I brought this to the road side assistance guy and he said that I would be able to bring the trailer to the drop of place and they could deal with it and then I could unload the truck and then deliver the truck. This made some sense at the time, seemed like an inconvenience but not one we couldn't work through.

So we finally got back on the road at 9:30AM. The rest of the trip was pretty smooth. Colleen and I did a lot of talking and just enjoyed being out on the road. We stopped in Eugene to have lunch with my aunt which was wonderful. Almost immediately after crossing the California border we hit some pretty heavy rain that then turned into pin ball size hail. It was coming down so hard that we had to pull off the side. Now this a little harder than it may seem. First we are in a very loaded up truck that is also pulling a trailer with a very loaded up car on it. The breaks were not at an optimum stopping level. So it got a little dicing stopping the truck going downhill in the hail! We waited it out for a bout 20 minutes and just enjoyed the show. Shortly after that we started seeing lots of lightning. That was fun and beautiful. The lightning looked as if it were striking behind Mount Shasta and so it just looked beautiful! We then stopped in Redding to visit one of ColleenÂs friends. Here is another story: It is very hard to find a good parking spot for a truck and trailer like this. We were not far off from being the same size as a semi truck and so it is VERY difficult to get in and out of places. We of course wanted In and Out and so we pulled into a Circuit City parking lot to attempt to park behind it. Well the road that appeared to go behind it actually is a dead end. So now we were stuck. The Budget people had made it very clear that we should never back the truck up so I tried to turn it around. It became obvious that this was not going to work either and so I had to back the truck. This was a huge learning experience!! The good news is that we got out and also got our In and Out!

We stopped traveling at about 3AM in Sacramento. We tried to find a rest stop to stop and just sleep in the truck but they were all full. We ended up stopping in a side road and slept for about 3 hours. We got back on the road around 5AM and drove all the way here to Orange and arrived safely here around 3:30PM.

The story is not quite over though. If you'll remember in the beginning about the trailer jack. Friday I drove the truck and trailer to the drop off destination to drop off the trailer. They were very rude and told us that they would not take the trailer. When I asked what I should do then they said: "we don't know". So we drove the truck back to JonÂs house and jacked it up with a car jack and some jack stands. So Budget trucks are VERY nice and new. Ours only had 9000 miles on it when we picked it up. As far as trucks go this one was very comfortable and relatively easy to drive. The trailer on the other hand has been a bit of a situation and since Budget doesn't really have their own drop off site (it's all private businesses that become a franchise) it can get difficult to deal with. The upside to all of this is that Budget's customer service line is really nice and they have said that they can adjust the cost of the trailer for us. Praise God for that. I can deal with the hassle and the rude people to get a little money off! The truck and trailer will be dropped of this morning and we can be done with it!

The Praises:
--> We had a VERY safe trip. God was taking care of us the whole way!
--> We only ended only ended up spending about $260 on gas. I was planning on spending a good deal more than that.
--> We have a place to stay for awhile here in Orange.
--> We have our things stored in a good storage unit for a reasonable rate.
--> We are enjoying great sunny weather!

Prayer Requests:
--> I will be hitting the job market hard this coming week. Please pray that God will provide a job that will provide both the time I need to really be a part of the Portico and be with my family as well as pay the bills.
--> We have found a great townhouse in a really cool neighborhood. Please pray that God would provide the money needed to start this process and of course pay the rent!
--> Please continue praying that God will work in amazing ways through us and the Portico here in Orange County!

Once again thank you for all of your prayers, the time spent helping us, aching muscles after moving ALL of our financialnd the financal means that many of you have given. THANK YOU!

2004-07-01T21:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! We are here safe. We have lots of stories to tell but right now I am needing some serious sleep. We got to Orange about 3:30PM. Tomorrow we will be looking for a place to store our stuff. I'll write more soon. Thank you all for the prayers!!

2004-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

Moving Day!
The truck is getting packed. It is going very well and we will be able to fit everything in the 15 foot truck! Praise God for that! It is a bit of a hectic day which I am sure you can all imagine but we have some really great help. Thanks to family and best friends!

So tomorrow morning we head out. Please pray for safety for both us and the truck. We had the option of paying for collision insurance on the truck but it was WAY to expensive and so if something happens to the truck we have to pay for all damages out of pocket or buy a new truck if it's bad enough. Please pray that God sends His army to surround and protect us on our journey.

For all of you in Portland:
Goodbyes are hard to say. We love you. We love this city. You and it will be VERY missed. I have actually had some tears. This move is very bitter - sweet. For right now it's a little bitter because we do have to say goodbye. We love all of you. We will continue to keep you all in our prayers and we will probably also try to get you to move to California!! We will be back and we'll be sure to let you all know when we do. Everybody's gonna want to meet Adalie! Again we love you all! God Speed!

Stay tuned. I am sure that the best is yet to come!!

2004-06-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Hey! Lots of packing going on here. I wish I could say that we were all packed and ready to go but that is not the case. We had been shooting for completion yesterday but we just couldn't make it. Way too much to do. Today we stayed home from church to try and get it all done. I am sitting in a pretty empty office right now. My typing is echoing! :) There is still time left in the day so hopefully we knock it all out today. If not it will be tomorrow.

We have Colleen's last Dr. Appointment to check on Adalie. It has been a very smooth pregnancy thus far so no concern. It is a little hard though because we have liked our Dr. So much. He is a Christian guy which we didn't know when we started seeing him when Leif was on the way but through talking it became pretty apparent and when Ezra was born he came back in the room later and prayed over Ezra. Blew my mind. So we kinda wish we could move him with us! Then we have lots of loose ends to take care of. Tuesday is the day we pack the truck so that day is pretty much shot. My parents come into town around 2 and so they will be able to help and then we are going to have one last BBQ and possibly some fireworks. Depends on how tired we are!

Prayer List:
--> We need a place to live. Thanks to Jon and Jana we will have a place to land for our first couple days and we will set up operation there to get everything situated.
--> To get a place to live I still need a job. We are praying for a job that allows me to do what we are moving to Orange County to do but will also pay our bills which will be high.
--> Health Care. It appears that since Colleen is pregnant it will not be difficult to get on the California Medical Plan. We are praying that this will be a smooth process and that there isn't a huge gap in insurance. Adalie is due September 1st which is only 2 months away.

Some of these things seem impossible. But I know that God has a plan. We would not have gotten this far if this was not His will. We have totally given it up to Him because it is just too big and we didn't want to make a wrong move. So this is God. He does have a plan and we are excited to see how it works out.

Praise:
--> Again all to God's glory we have all but 300 dollars that is needed to make our move.
--> We are praising God that we have a place with Jon and Jana to land when we arrive in the OC!
--> I am just basking in the fact that all of the details are coming together and I haven't done any pushing. It's all God. This move and all of the small miracles that are equaling a VERY big one are all God and none of me. We feel so priveledged to be chosen for something like this. A couple years ago I might not have felt that way but God choose us to have incredible faith, gave us the training for it, gave us the strength for us, and is working everything out better than we could ever have planned ourselves!

So there it is.

2004-06-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

HUGE SHOUT OUT!
I just want to thank a few people before I say any more. I would like to start by thanking Colleen's parents. They have been SO supportive even though I know they don't want to see us go. They have taken the boys so we could get stuff done. They have given us great meals. Taken care of some of the big stuff that is needed on the other end of this move. Clothes for the boys countless times. The list goes on and on and on. So thank you so much you guys. We are Very thankful for you and for all that you have felt led to give. We appreciate it more than you know!

My parents have been amazing too. Read back on June 16th for a huge shout out to them.

There are some other people out there that for now will remain nameless because I don't know if they want there names up here or not. But.......We have received 2 personal checks so far from two different couples both quite sizeable (at least to me!). You know who you are so we thank you for making that sacrifice.

I would also like to thank some people again nameless who have come to our house and given us dinner and hung out with us for a bit. Thank you so much for that! It is a blessing to not have to worry about dinner for an evening and even more of a blessing to get to hang out. You know who you are too so thanks!

Sylvan Hill Church has given quite a bit as well. We thank all of you for praying and also for the money. I'm not sure where all of it came from but it is a huge help.

The Portico has also given! You guys amaze me. There are so few people to come up with such a sizable amount of money. We are blown away. Thank you so much!

There are so many people out there that we don't even know praying for us and those of you who do know us that are praying: Thankyou! Your prayers are more important than anything else! We need them! Keep praying. Thanks to everyone that is apart of this move and we thank you all!

Now on to the update:

Praise:
--> We have received a total of $1200 for our move. This only leaves us with another 2 or 3 hundred to make this work. Praise God! 2 days ago we still didn't know where the money was going to come from!

--> We have the truck and trailer rented. We have rented it through Budget. They had the nicest trucks and the best price. Great customer service too!!

--> God is obviously working. He has given us strength and has been with us every second of this phase of our move. Thank you God! All glory to you!

Prayer:
--> I still do not have any solid work. This could go in the praise section as well but I have been able to work on some web stuff and that has helped quite a bit! This may move into a more full time thing but for now we still need a job.

--> We still need a place to 1) Store our things when we get to Orange and 2) A place to stay in between getting down there and when we can find an apt.

So with all that I leave you now to go and do some more packing! Thank you for all the prayer. We love you all!

--> Continued strength when weakness seems easier.

2004-06-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday from Home!! It was so nice to sleep in this morning! We've started the packing process and it is going quite well. We were surprised at how much we were able to get rid of. We have ended up with a lot less stuff than we thought so that is great. We still have a busy week of packing and getting ready but it looks like there is some time left for hangin out with the boys and having fun. It's been pretty hot here so I think we are going to do a lot of swimming over at Colleen's parent's pool. Thanks to them for offering it up!

So here is something interesting that happened to me the other day:
For the past year I have been going to the same place to get gas. I really like Chevron Gas (call me crazy but it just seems to burn the cleanest and my car runs better when I'm using it. I also seem to get better gas mileage) so I would stop by one that was on my way to work. It was the cheapest around and also on my in the morning so it just made sense! For those of you not in Oregon - we are not allowed to pump our own gas. Strange I know but it is actually a law here. After a while I started to get to know the guy who was there in the morning. We would talk about life and work and kids. Really cool to have someone to chat with and even get to know a little bit while getting gas at the same time. I hadn't been able to make it down there for a while for various reasons so on my last day of work I happened to need gas. When I pulled in he came running over and said: "Hey it's my guy! Have you been getting gas from somewhere else!!??" and he reached in and shook my hand. I gave him a brief story of what's been going on and told him that it was my last day of work and that we were moving to California. He seemed genuinely bummed that we weren't going to have our morning talks anymore. After pumping my gas he reached in and shook my hand again and wished me luck.

What did I take away from that - Well isn't it amazing what just being open to talk and listen to somebody can do. Not only was I affected from what God was doing but most importantly this man was affected. We didn't have to talk about anything even God or religion. There were so many mornings that the Chevron Gas Man just needed to share some of his life frustrations and some of his greatest joys. I was just a friend and that was enough. God used the simplest of situations to use me in someone else's life. The coolest thing about this was that He used the gas man to affect me too. It's nice to have someone that knows you and confides in you. I come away from this knowing that we have to be open to just talking and spending a little time out of our busy days to get to know people. It's what changes the world. Jesus did it time and time again. I realize the thing I don't do enough is to ask God to show me everyday where that situation may be. I think I may have missed out on some wonderful opportunities because I wasn't willing to come out of my hiding place and I wasn't open to giving someone else a chance to come out of theirs.

2004-06-18T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hey! Last day at work! Bitter Sweet. Feels good though. I feel like from it's all Base Jumping!

Picture courtesy of www.calrence.com

2004-06-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Wow - My last week of working here at Stream. Bitter Sweet! I hate to leave the people but I am happy to leave the job and move on. Change in this case is a REAL good thing.

There is not much to update at this point. Here is where we stand at the moment:

Two weeks from today (June 30th) we will be leaving for California. We are going to be renting a 17 foot truck with a trailer for the CR-V. I think we should be able to get all of our stuff in the truck and anything like guitars, studio stuff, computers and home audio/video can go in the CR-V. There will be lots of room in there especially since we won't have to be driving it!

My parents have committed to coming and picking Leif and Ezra up and taking them home with them for about a week. This REALLY helps and so if you guys are reading this you can't possibly imagine what a HUGE blessing this is for Colleen and I. The boys are going to have a blast and it frees us up to find work and get other arrangements squared away without having to worry about them too. To give everyone else some perspective of what they are doing: They are going to drive here from the Northern Coast of California (12 hour drive) and then turn right back around and go the other direction with our boys (another 12 hour drive). Now if you haven't taken a long road trip with two small boys let me just say that I can think of some much more enjoyable things like - eating cow eye balls, being sick with the flu, swimming in Alaska, etc. Then they will make the trek down to us in SoCal which is about a 9 or 10 hour drive from where they live. So you can see how much my parents love us!!

So the short of it:
A. We are moving in exactly 2 weeks
B. We don't have all the money for the moving truck yet.
C. We don't have anywhere to store our stuff in California yet.
D. We don't have a place to live yet.
E. We don't have a job yet.
F. GOD IS FAITHFUL AND IS EVEN NOW WORKING IN WAYS THAT WE CAN NOT SEE. HE ALONE WILL HAVE ALL THE GLORY FOR THIS.

Some Food For Thought:
You know the thing about our "American Christian Religion" is that we don't allow God to work miracles. I don't think He is done doing the impossible. I know for the longest time I have read the bible and believed that the stories of men getting up and walking after a long life of being paralyzed, the dead being raised and the terminally ill restored to perfect health was that of the past. WHY NOT NOW!? Is God not worthy of that kind of Glory? The reason for the why not now: It's too scary to jump. Those people believed that just even touching His robe was enough to heal them and their faith was enough to complete that. Our lives have too much order to disrupt it with God's ultimate will. His will always seems crazy. To our human mind it doesn't make sense. Even as I am sitting here now what He is asking our family to do seems crazy. He asked me to follow and I did but it's getting pretty nuts right about now. I won't lie and say I don't have any fear. But it's become so much easier to fall back into familiar arms and say OK God I'm with you. You called and I know your going to take care of me. I don't mean all of this to say that God is calling everyone to a life like what we are jumping into now but let go enough that it is uncomfortable. See what He can do. Listen and find where He is taking you and let Him take you. It's something to think about. You really want to know what His glory is about? Ask this one question: "God give me more faith". I guarantee He will answer. Ask this next question of yourself: "What really matters?" If God is not on the top of the list maybe he could be. He wants to be. God calls us to do the impossible so here we are and I challenge you to find what "God sized" thing God is calling you to. Check out these stories straight from the Word. I've written them down here but I also challenge you to read for yourself. These are only a short list from a much larger list. These are just the ones that stood out to me.

Exodus 14:5-31
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, "What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!" 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians-all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen [1] and troops-pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD . 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"
13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still."
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen."
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the LORD looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He made the wheels of their chariots come off [2] so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The LORD is fighting for them against Egypt."
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen." 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward [3] it, and the LORD swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen-the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.
29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the LORD saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the great power the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

Judges 7:1-21
1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' " So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
4 But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go."
5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." 6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9 During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.
13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed."
14 His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands." 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
17 "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.' "
19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.
22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.

Matthew 14:28-36
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water."
29"Come," he said.
30Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"
32And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."
34When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. 35And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched him were healed.

2004-06-13T17:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon here. I just wanted to give everyone some more updates. Things are starting to move really quick now. We are planning on heading out of town June 30th. I am not sure where the money for the moving truck and gas is going to come from yet but God has been faithful so far and this is a small thing. Although my flesh would say it's a really big thing!!

So this is my last week of work at Stream. Friday the 18th is D Day. Not much work to do. Just kinda sitting around and waiting for resource calls and talking with friends so it's not all bad just a little boring.

Colleen's parents threw a going away party/Baby Shower for us yesterday (Thanks Mom and Dad!!). It was a lot of fun to see everyone. We also had a neat time of prayer at the end that was very special. Good Byes are never easy but it was nice to at least have fun doing it!

Prayer List:
--> We did the math on time left here: 2 1/2 weeks. We have a lot to do so pray for strength.
--> We also still have some financial needs: moving expenses. Please pray for a miracle there too.

God's Glory will be made known through all of this. We're excited to see how He decides to do that!

2004-06-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Trip Update
Happy Friday to everyone. I just wanted to update you on our trip down to the OC last weekend and the first part of this week. It really was incredible. We had such a good time with Jon and Jana (the pastor of The Portico and his wife). It was like we had been friends for years! God is definitely orchestrating this! It was also very nice to meet everyone else involved with the church. It was like being with family. It was so wonderful to feel like we were at home. BIG thanks to all of you down there for making this time really special for us. We can't wait to be there with you all the time!

The Job Front:
I had an informal meeting with a guy from Ikon. It was a really good meeting and I found that there is a possible position opening up in a couple months from now. It sounds like the position would be perfect for me even down to my years support HP. It is not a job that I will be able to nail down before we move but definetly something to be looking at in the near future. I also had an interview with Apple One. They are a staffing company and seem to have a lot of higher end customer service positions that I would be good for. My account manager said that they would have to wait to start looking until I am down there however I got a call from her on Wed. saying that she had found a position that she thought I would do really well in and that she was going to try to get me a phone interview and see if they didn't mind waiting for me to get there. Praise God!

The House Front:
We looked at several houses and condos that we liked. It doesn't really look like apartment living is the same as it is up here. Most of the apt. complexes we looked at were really run down and seemed to be in "The Hood". It is hard to nail anything down without having a job and steady income so it looks like will probably have to stay with someone for a while. God has a plan.

Prayer List:
--> A place to stay for a month, maybe 2.
--> Please still be praying for a job although it is looking good.
--> Please also continue to pray for health care for Colleen and the baby. That too is looking positive. It looks like she may be able to get on the California medical plan.
--> Right now this is a really big one: We need just about $2000 to rent the truck and pay for gas to get us moved. God has a plan we just don't know what it is yet!

Praise:
--> We had a safe and absolutely amazing trip down to the OC and back.
--> God hasn't changed. He loves us and is taking care of us. The plan never seems to be clear until we are right on top of it but the evidence of His hand moving is clear.

Thank you for all of your prayers and everything else that you have been doing for us. We love you all! I will write again soon. Sorry this one took me so long to get out. We love you all and again thank you so much for everything!

2004-06-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I have a meeting with a temp agency this morning. It is at 10:30AM. I am told that this is really the way to get work down here. I am praying that the interview goes well. I will probably also be taking some tests. All of this while wearing a long sleeve shirt and a tie!! Yeah - crazy huh!?? We'll be leaving to come home tonight. Our plane leaves at 8PM. It will be hard to leave. This time has been amazing. God is making this our home and the people here have brought us right into their lives. Thank you God for being faithful!

2004-06-07T14:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!! In the OC baby!! Sitting at the plaza - don't call it the circle bub!! You OCers know what I mean. If you don't just ask Jon and duck!!

Having fun. Interview today went really well. It's not a job right off the bat but it is one for a couple months from now and would more than pay for our bills!! It looks like there is a good chance I would be the perfect fit! Praise God! I'll write more soon.

2004-06-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Hi From The OC! We had a safe trip last night. Just thought I would let everyone know that we are here and having fun!

2004-06-02T09:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our new Blog! Here is a post from last Wed. No updates yet except that I went and bought some new interview clothes. I even got a tie! Yes that's right Stephen will be wearing a tie and a long sleeve shirt. Some of the piercings are even coming out for this event. Amazing isn't it!!??

Happy Wed. everyone! Hope everyone has had a nice weekend. Ours was quick but good. Got to see some friends we haven't see in a while. So here is what the current news is:

My lay off date at Stream has moved up a week. The current date is June 18th. We are planning on actually making the move to Orange sometime around July 1st.

Prayers have been answered regarding us breaking our apartment lease. We will be able to move without paying the normal costs of breaking a lease!! This is really good news. So much so that when our apartment manager came to tell us, Colleen gave her a big hug! :)

We are going down to Orange to meet everyone involved at The Portico, job interviews for me and to check out possible living arrangements. The "we" part of this is a praise as well. Colleen wasn't originally going to be able to come because of financial limitations but her grandmother wouldn't hear it and so paid for her ticket. We were able to book her on the same flight and even get seats next to each other! We will be leaving the night of June 4th and coming home the night of June 8th. Please pray for safe travels and productive interviews and home searches.

Here is a list of other prayer requests that we have:

*Stephen still needs a job
*We need an affordable apartment, one that will fit our new budget, preferably a three bedroom with the new baby coming
*We need health insurance coverage or enough money to pay out of pocket for labor and delivery
*We need to find a good OBGYN
*There is also the cost of moving we are praying that God will supply:
-Truck
-Gas
-First Months rent and Deposit on new house or apt.

That's a run down of it all. Thanks so much for all of your prayers! We really appreciate you standing behind us in this way. We'll let you know when we know more!